1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cutting insert including multiple grooves for chip control. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a cutting insert including multiple grooves for chip control which is effective over a broad range of operational conditions namely, a wide range of materials cutting depths and feed rates.
2. Description of the Related Art
Cutting inserts are well known and a large percentage of them are of the throw away design. Such inserts are detachably clamped on a toolholder and then are discarded when they become dull or chipped. Throw away inserts are usually indexable and/or invertable so that an insert can be provided with at least two cutting edges for selective presentation to the cutting position. An indexable and/or invertable insert having multiple cutting edges is more economical because when one edge has been used, the insert may simply be indexed or inverted to the next usable edge. Such a feature is especially important when considering the high cost of materials from which inserts are produced.
In general, inserts must be securely and accurately held in place within a toolholder during the cutting operation. This is especially true when the inserts are deployed with numerically controlled machines which depend for accuracy upon an accurately located and firmly supported insert. When the inserts are large enough, it is possible to secure the insert both accurately and firmly within the pocket of a toolholder by providing the insert with a central hole and the toolholder with a pin-type clamping device. In other cases, such inserts may be held in place by a top clamp of a design well known in the art.
The main object of metal machining is the shaping of a new work surface. Much attention is paid to the formation of the chip during the machining process, even though the chip is a waste product, because the consumption of energy occurs mainly in the formation and movement of the chip. Thus an essential feature of any metalcutting operation is effective chip control. A principal class of chips is the discontinuous chip which has the practical advantage of being easily cleared from the cutting area. While some metals and alloys generate discontinuous chips during cutting operations, many do not. It is therefore very desirable to produce discontinuous chips during a cutting operation, regardless of the workpiece material and the machining conditions.
Because chip control is an important consideration in metal cutting operations, it has been a long standing objective in the art of metal cutting to develop improved chip control surfaces for use with cutting inserts. The present invention is directed to a cutting insert which is effective over a broad range of operational conditions namely a wide range of materials cutting depths and feed rates.